The Department of Criminology and Justice Studies at Drexel University features hands-on career experience, community-based courses, and one of the only curriculums in the U.S. to integrate crime mapping, hot-spotting and intelligence analysis.
How did the War on Drugs of the '80s and '90s impact urban communities, from street-corner dealing and violence, to overall community health? How do so-called Three Strikes laws typically influence the decisions of judges at sentencing? How far will the War on Terrorism push the legal boundaries of government surveillance? How is “big data” used by justice, intelligence or private organizations to identify social networks, assess risk, and make decisions about crime policy and resource deployment? Drexel University's Department of Criminology and Justice Studies empowers students to address these and other issues of crime and justice policy.
We offer three concentrations
What is Criminal Justice Studies?
What is criminal justice studies — and what’s the difference between criminal justice and criminology? Criminology refers to the study of crime and justice in society. It uses sociological, psychological, technological and legal perspectives to theorize the causes and effects of crime and justice policy. Criminal justice generally refers to the application of those ideas and theories within a judicial system, with a focus on law enforcement and corrections. Despite the differences between criminal justice and criminology, the disciplines share a focus on preventing crime and ultimately creating safer societies.
The Drexel Co-Op for Drexel Criminology & Justice Studies Students
Through Drexel's renowned cooperative education program, criminal and justice studies students experience six-months of full-time employment, exploring their career options, strengthening their résumés and building a professional network in the process.
The Department of Criminology and Justice Studies offers a four-year, one co-op option; and a four-year, no co-op option. However, we strongly encourage students to take advantage of the co-op program.
Learn more about the Drexel Co-Op Program
Community based Learning in Crime and Justice Studies
The College of Arts and Sciences offers a range of community-based learning courses that allow students to immerse themselves in course material and learn side-by-side with community partners. To explore justice studies in America, we take our students straight to the source; we offer two of our core courses in community settings — one of which (Prison, Society and You) is taught in a local prison.
View Current Community-based Learning Classes
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